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August 26, 2014

The computer science department at DePauw University is uncommonly successful at producing students who go on to receive doctoral degrees, according to a report by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC).

Titled "Strengthening the STEM Pipeline: The Contributions of Small and Mid-Sized Independent Colleges," the report notes, “A number of smaller private colleges produced as many graduates who later completed Ph.D. degrees in computer science as much larger research universities did. For the period 2006-10, DePauw University (2,365 undergraduate enrollment) produced the same number of future Ph.D.s in computer science as Tufts University (4,892 undergraduate enrollment) and Texas Tech University (23,595 undergraduate enrollment)."

The report adds, "Many small and mid-sized independent colleges proved to be more efficient in producing future computer scientists than public research universities. For example, graduates in computer science from DePauw University were twice as likely (4 percent vs. 2 percent) to complete a Ph.D. degree than graduates of the in-state flagship university, Indiana University, even though it enrolled more than 12 times as many undergraduate students as the small private liberal arts college (30,319 vs. 2,365)."

"This report confirms what we already knew -- our graduates are well prepared for whatever endeavors they pursue after graduation," observes Douglas Harms, professor of computer science at DePauw and chair of the department. "Liberal arts colleges like DePauw are critical in the production of high quality graduates in computer science and other STEM disciplines."